Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Pandjaitan, stated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk plans to visit Indonesia in October 2023 in connection with the Starlink Satellite Project.
However, the visit will not pertain to investment plans for the development of electric cars in Indonesia. Pandjaitan mentioned that Elon Musk and Tesla presently have no intention to invest in any country, including Indonesia.
“Tesla, as I mentioned earlier, will not invest anywhere. So, if you mention Malaysia, they are only open to selling cars,” stated Pandjaitan at the Fairmont Hotel, Central Jakarta.
Pandjaitan had previously met Musk in San Francisco, the United States some time ago. He indicated that Tesla wished to reach an agreement regarding investment promptly.
Indonesia has been actively pursuing Tesla for an extended period. In fact, President Joko Widodo held direct discussions with Elon Musk twice at the SpaceX facility in Texas in 2022.
Moreover, Indonesia’s top official offered a nickel concession to Tesla if the company considered investing in Indonesia.
“Not entirely cancelling investment in Indonesia. Elon Musk and Tesla still regard Indonesia as their priority,” Pandjaitan concluded.